Fight
by srm14250
Summary: What would happen if Bill gained control over Dipper's body again? How would he ensure his victory? How far will Dipper go to protect his family? Would me make the ultimate sacrifice? And finally, what would Ford do to get revenge?
1. Chapter 1

_Bang bang bang bang_

The old man woke up. He rubbed his eyes and put on his glasses. With a grunt and popping from his bones, Stan was up. He put on his slippers and headed towards the strange sound.

 _Bang bang bang bang_

 _From the kitchen maybe?_ he thought. He walked down the hallway, and sure enough, there was his great-nephew, looking startled.

"Dipper?" Stan asked. "What are you doing in the kitchen? It's three in the morning."

Dipper was just… standing there, next to the counter. With an unnaturally wide smile covering his face and bruises all over his arm.

"Oh, nothing. I was just looking for my journal." He seemed to have snapped back to himself after Stan questioned him. "I guess I'll go back to bed then."

He walked past Stan and to the staircase, hands on his hips.

"Hey wait!" Stan called after him. "Did you hear that banging earlier?"

Dipper shrugged. "Must have been a woodpecker."

They both went back to their rooms and crawled into bed. Stan thought it was a bit unusual, but nothing could prepared him for what was about to happen. Had it been Ford, he might have caught on, but unfortunately, he didn't. He also didn't notice Dipper carrying back a knife and a box of matches with him upstairs.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where is it, you little twerp!" Bill grunted under his breath.

He was right outside Dipper and Mabel's bedroom. The room was dimly lit with only the full moon outside shining through the large triangular window. The moon from just the right angle filled the circle in the triangle perfectly, making it look exactly like Bill.

He pulled out his knife and pointed it towards the bedroom. "If you don't tell me soon I might have to do something drastic."

"If you hurt a hair on her head, I'll-"

"You'll what, Pinetree?" Bill laughed maniacally. "You can't affect anything in this world without a vessel."

He was right. Dipper couldn't _do_ anything. He couldn't _help_ anyone. He felt so useless…

It was only a matter of time before Bill either found the journal or tried to hurt Mabel, or worse. God, he didn't even want to think about what that psychopath might do to her, with _his_ hands.

"Ha! Humans are pathetic. You're supposed to be smart, I thought this would have been a lot more _fun._ " Bill mocked. "Ya know, shooting stars are way more beautiful when they fall."

"You won't hurt her. You _can't_. I won't _let_ you." Dipper's pale blue glow turned red with anger. "I'll _stop_ you."

"But tell me this, Pinetree. Use that big ol' human brain of yours." Bill started to giggle like a child burning ants with a piece of glass. "How can you stop me… if you don't exist?"

He stumbled over to the door. He clearly hadn't gotten the hang of walking in a human body. After all, in the Mindscape you float.

The old wooden door opened with a subtle creak from the metal hinges. Moonlight cast a shadow of Bill on the floor, resembling his triangular form rather than Dipper's body. He gave a quick glare over his shoulder at Dipper's spirit, with those big yellow eyes with pupils like a dragon. Dipper was terrified.

He made his way over to Mabel, peacefully sleeping in her bed, hugging Waddles close. Bill raised the knife high above his head, and quickly jabbed it down, stopping inches above Mabel's chest, right where her heart was.

"No!" Dipper screamed. He learned that day that you can even cry in the Mindscape. The more you know…

"You know what to do, Pinetree. Just tell me where that jounal is and I might consider letting you off the hook. Wouldn't it be such a mess if I _slit her throat._ " He giggled again. "Blood is so hard to get out. You wouldn't want that, now would you?"

"Fine! I'll tell you!" Dipper yelled in a fit of panic. His sister's life was worth way more than a stupid book. And anyway, he knew almost every word in that journal by heart.

"Now you come to your senses, Pinetree." That terrifying smile was plastered across Dipper's face again. It was so strange, like watching yourself go insane.

"It's under my mattress…" Dipper said meekly. Bill had won. But Mabel was safe.

Bill pulled out the book from it's hiding place. Using the matches he got from the kitchen, he set it on fire and watched as the pages grew black with ash, until they were impossible to read. He was laughing like a mad man the whole time, just quiet enough that Mabel stayed asleep.

"You know what? You kids have gotten in my way too many times." Bill's expression quickly changed to annoyance and disgust, as if Dipper and Mabel were nothing more to him than pesky flies he wanted to squash, but were always just out of reach. "I think I'll get rid of you and your sister _now,_ while you're still _completely helpless_." That awful smile was back again with those last two words.

Bill walked over slowly to Mabel's bed, like a tiger stalking it's prey. It was only a matter of time before he would kill her. There wasn't anything Dipper could do. _No… not like this…_

Suddenly Dipper had an idea. It might not work, but it was all he had. It was risky. But if it saved Mabel…

He forced himself back inside his own body. He thought doing so would force Bill out, but instead they found themselves fighting for control of the same body. It was a dream demon versus a mere human. But that puny human was determined to win. He had to.

 _I only need to control my right hand…_ Dipper thought, focusing all his willpower on the hand wielding the knife. Unfortunately Bill had the same idea.

His arm shook violently back and forth. It was almost like an arm wrestle of pure will, but the stakes were far higher. Bill was strong. It was like pushing against a solid brick wall. His head hurt like hell… and with a bit of a struggle the knife was far closer to Mabel. Bill was winning.

Meanwhile, his left hand was limp. Until suddenly, Dipper used his left hand to force his right into his stomach. The knife went deep into Dipper's organs and Bill immediately fled the vessel, leaving Dipper slowly collapsing onto the floor.

"You humans are so strange…" Bill sighed. "You're about to die, you know."

 _I'm okay with this._ Dipper thought. _I'm fine with dying if Mabel stays safe._

"I mean, why on earth would you sacrifice your life just to save your dumb sibling?"

 _I win. He can't use my body to hurt anyone. I win…_

"Well it looks like the Pinetree got chopped down." Bill began to leave. "I wonder how Shooting Star will feel?"

 _I win…_ His consciousness was fading. He was losing a lot of blood. Was this… the end…?

Dipper's blood stained the floor a deep crimson. The knife was still firmly set in his stomach. There was about an inch or so of the blade sticking out that glinted a bright silver in the moonlight. Bill was right. He wouldn't survive this. But does that mean… that everyone is… safe…?


	3. Chapter 3

Golden sunlight flooded the room through it's only window. One ray shined directly into Mabel's eyes. She squinted and yawned as she woke up.

"Morning Dippingsauce." She said stretching, eyes still closed.

When she opened them, she was slightly confused why Dipper wasn't in his bed. Usually she was up first and she had to drag her brother downstairs for breakfast. It wasn't until she looked down onto the floor by her bed that she realised where he was.

Stan was getting food to make breakfast when he heard Mabel's agonised scream. He dropped the eggs he was holding and ran to his niece. The eggs cracked as Ford's footsteps came running.

"Dipper!" Mabel screamed between sobs. "What happened?"

There was no mistaking it. His hands were still clutched to the knife. This was intentional.

"Why would you do that to yourself?" She wailed. "I _need_ you!"

Stan bolted through the door, Ford close behind. They were panicked and confused. Stan could only think, "Why?"

But Ford knew what had happened.

Stan ran to his nephew and turned him on his side. He put his ear on his chest. "He's still breathing! Ford, call an ambulance!"

Ford ran back downstairs to the nearest phone and called 911. "Hello? Yes, it's my great nephew! He lost a lot of blood, but he's still alive! The address is 618 Gopher Road, Gravity Falls Oregon. Please, come quickly!"

Mabel was completely paralyzed. She sat curled up in a ball in the corner of her bed, hands clasped over her ears and eyes squeezed shut. Her face was warm and wet with tears. She just kept screaming and sobbing… screaming and sobbing…

The ambulance came quickly. Complete strangers put her brother on a stretcher and took him away. She thought of a bunch of strangers buzzing around in a hospital, trying to keep her brother alive. But to them he was just some kid. They had no idea how smart he was. He could grow up to be anything he wanted… And they had no idea how kind he was. Always putting other's needs before his own… And most of all, they had no idea how much she needed him.

Even so she stayed in the same position, completely unable to move. "It's all my fault…" she whimpered.

Suddenly Stan was hugging her tightly. She was so surprised she opened up her eyes again. "It wasn't your fault. No one's to blame."

"Stan, can I ask you something?" Ford asked, re-entering the room. "Did you notice Dipper acting out of character yesterday?"

"This whole thing is out of character." he said bitterly. "I never would have expected him to… do what he did."

"No, I think you're wrong." he said with with a burning anger slipping between grinding teeth. "This is Bill's doing."


	4. Chapter 4

Dipper awoke in a very white room. The walls were white, the floor was white, and the sheets of the bed he was in were white. There was one single large light in the center of the ceiling, like the lights in schools and offices. There was an IV in his arm and a heart monitor to his right, repeatedly beeping with spikes of green. His room was full of brightly colored balloons, flowers, and cards. His stomach was wrapped in white bandages.

Dipper winced in pain as he tried to sit up. He laid back down and turned his head to look out the window. It seemed to be a beautiful day, the sky was a magnificent bright blue, and the clouds were thin and fluffy. He could see bits of the sky peaking through.

"You're awake," said a nurse as she opened the door. She had long brown hair and seemed to be in her twenties, he guessed. With that hair and that smile, she almost looked like Mabel.

"How long was I out?"

"About a week or so." she said. "You almost didn't make it."

"Am I going to be okay?"

She smiled at him. "Yeah kid, you're alright."

Dipper sighed. _I win, Bill._ he thought. _Mable's safe, and I'm going to be just fine._ "Hey, um, do you know when I'll have visitors?"

"Actually, your sister is here. She just went to the bathroom." she paused. "I'm guessing from that expression on your face you guys are close."

"Of course we're close. She's my twin sister."

As if on cue, Mabel came through the door. She was wearing a new white sweater covered in light blue pine trees like the one on Dipper's hat. Rainbow lettering read "Get well soon!" Her face lit up like a christmas tree when she saw him. "Dipper!"

She ran over to him and gave him a gentle bear hug. "Hey Mabel, what's up?"

"You're awake, that's what's up! Took you long enough!" she chuckled a little. "You were always the type to sleep in."

"I'll leave you two to catch up." The nurse smiled at the children and left them alone.

Mabel pulled up a chair, moving aside her latest sweater project that was on top of it, and sat down. The twins talked for what seemed like hours, but at the same time felt like they had only began talking. They talked as if nothing ever happened, like they were still at the Mystery Shack as opposed to a hospital.

"Hey, Dipper, can you tell me why you… did what you did?" Mabel started tearing up, looking down at the floor at her half completed sweater. "If you don't want to tell me that's fine, but-"

"I had to." Dipper interrupted. "It was the only way to stop Bill."

Her tears seemed to vanish as he said that. She snapped back up with relief. "Ford was right! It was Bill!" She put her head down on the bed. "Thank goodness."

"But don't tell anyone. They'll just think I've gone insane," he whispered. "Not a word. Don't even mention his name."

"But what happened?"

"He tricked me and stole my body. He wanted to destroy the journal." Dipper's eyes grew damp. "He was about to kill you, Mabel."

She thought about Bill in her own brother's body, stabbing her with that same knife Dipper used to stop him. She shuddered. "Did he destroy the journal?"

"Yeah, he did." A single tear flowed down his cheek. "But apparently he wanted to destroy _us_ too."

Mabel leaned down to embrace him again. "He will _never_ destroy us, Dipper. We won't let him."


	5. Chapter 5

"Ford, you're talking nonsense again." Stan took another sip of his pittcola. "Why would a triangle want to hospitalize my nephew?"

"I told you, his name is Bill. And he's a dream demon from the Mindscape, not just a triangle." Ford thought he would stop having to explain everything to his brother after the day he left during high school, but here he was, explaining the same thing over and over again. "He's incredibly dangerous."

"No really? I thought he wouldn't hurt a fly."

"He's gone by now for sure," Ford continued, ignoring his brother. "But there's no telling when he'll come back. We need some kind of safe word, something we can say so we know it's really us."

"Wait a minute, how do I know you're really you?" Stan took a few steps back.

Ford rolled his eyes. "You peed your pants three times in fourth grade."

"Well, only you would bring that up. You were saying?"

"Keep your hands in your pockets at all times. That way if I see you with your hands out of your pockets, I'll know you're really Bill, and I might question you."

Stan grunted. "Does that mean I have to wear pants all the time, too?"

Ford slapped his hand against his forehead. "Yes. Yes it does."

"Fine…" And with that, Stan went to his bedroom to fetch his pants.


	6. Chapter 6

Therapy is really awkward when people think you attempted suicide but you were really just stopping an evil isosceles psycho with a hat from murdering your entire family, but you can't tell them that because they'll just think you're insane.

Dipper's therapist was a young woman, probably just out of school. She had thick black hair that cascaded in a myriad waves from a ponytail in every direction. She was pale and soft, and a little pudgy. With that combination she seemed almost babylike. However there was this certain aura about her that made her seem mature.

"My name is Mary Barrett," she said sweetly. "And you must be-"

"Dipper," he said quickly. "Dipper Pines." He couldn't stand when people used his real name. That's the main reason he hated the first day of school and substitute teachers. After all, that had been his nickname since he was five.

"That's an interesting name."

"May I just say that you are adorable!" Mabel giggled.

"Oh, why thank you," she replied chuckling.

There was an awkward silence where no one was quite sure what they should say next. It was almost as if there was a person dictating the actions of the three people and had completely no idea what they should say. The room felt drafty, like a certain wall was missing just for that moment.

And so they just sat there until Mary broke the silence by saying "So Dipper, we can either talk alone or we can talk with your sister here." As she did, the draftiness was mostly gone, almost as if that certain wall was back, but the window was still cracked open.

"She can stay." He turned to look at his sister, and smiled, happy she was safe. "She can stay."

"So when did these feelings start?"

 _Well, I guess convincing everyone I slipped is out of the question._ Dipper thought. How was he going to go about this? "Um, I'm not really sure."

"How are you feeling now, emotionally?"

"Just great. In fact, I deeply regret my previous actions and I'm happy to still be alive." _Would she believe that?_ "Really, I'm fine."

"Dipper, this is a safe environment. You can be honest."

"I am one hundred percent honest."

"So you wouldn't say that you were trying to escape from anything? Or maybe trying to protect anyone?"

Dipper started to sweat. "N-no," he stammered through a thick lump in his throat.

Mabel squeezed his hand.

"Can you tell me why you did it?"

After a long pause filled with thought, Dipper said "All I can say is that I am so grateful to be alive right now." He started crying again, but this time for a different reason. "I'm so happy everything's going to be okay."

"Everything always turns out alright in the end," Mary said, patting his shoulder with genial taps.

"Not if I'm dead."

"Hey dumb dumb," Mabel joked lightly punching his arm. "You're not dead."

"No," Dipper smiled, wiping his tears with his arm. "I am very much alive."


	7. Chapter 7

He swore to himself he would never do this ever again. It was incredibly dangerous. There was no telling what would happen. But he had to. Bill went too far.

Ford summoned his most powerful enemy right there in his own basement.

A large black triangle appeared in the air, surrounded by blue flames, with one yellow eye in the middle. Bill's laughter was overwhelming. The triangle turned bright yellow, and there appeared the bowtie along with the hat and cane. He was here.

"Stanford! Long time no see! Hey, want to hear a joke?"

"Enough games, Bill!"

"Why'd the chicken cross the road?"

"This is serious!"

"To get to the idiot's house!"

"If you were mortal I'd break every bone in your body!"

"Knock knock!" Bill giggled. "It's the chicken!"

"Why did you try to kill my great nephew? What did he ever do to you?"

"Woah woah woah sixer, let's get something straight," Bill said putting his hands up. "I may have inhabited his body, but I wasn't the one who killed him."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean he did that himself to stop me from killing his sister." He was talking so casual, as if he was talking about a movie rather than real life. "Man, humans are weird. Hey, did you know that llamas are really just oversized hamsters with thick eyelashes?"

"No way! That's impossible, you're lying!"

"No really it's true! Llamas are weird."

"You expect me to believe that Dipper was able to overpower you with pure will? That's impossible!"

"So is licking your own elbow, but there are some freaks of nature who can do that!"

"I can't believe it," That would mean Dipper is more powerful than Bill. A human beating a dream demon? That's unheard of. That's like a caterpillar beating an elephant in an arm wrestle. Could he really be that strong?

"I know right? People are weird. I can't lick my elbow because I don't have a mouth."

"Listen to me, Bill! I need you to inhabit this!" Ford pulled out a gnome and presented it to him.

"I'd love to, glasses, but that gnome has to make a deal with me first."

"Shmebulock," the little gnome said.

"I'm not hearing a no!" Bill held out his hand.

Shmebulock reached out and shook it, and as he did, just as Bill had done with Dipper, he pulled his spirit out of his body and took control of it. Just as he did, Ford suddenly woke up without realizing he was asleep, just like every time he, or anyone for that matter, had ever encountered Bill. "Haha, I haven't inhabited anything with a beard in _decades_."

Immediately, Ford pinned him down and chained him to the wall using every bit of restraints that fit on the tiny gnome's body. "You're not going anywhere."

"Good to know you're still crazy and paranoid." Bill joked.

"You say paranoid," Ford said smiling, pleased with the execution of his thought out plan. "I say careful."


	8. Author's Note

Hey guys, I kinda hate when people do this because it takes you right out of the story, so if you're like me in that way then feel free to skip this part, it won't hurt my feelings. Thanks so much for all the great feedback! It really means a lot! I just wanted to let you know that I recently started high school and because I'm taking a lot of hard classes and I'm in marching band and the sailing team, I won't be able to post chapters as fast. Every time I write a chapter I wait about a day or so then reread and edit it and I have very little time to do so. That being said I will try to get these chapters out as fast as I can, but I will not sacrifice quality for time. That's what essays are for ;)

P.S. In spite of recent events in Gravity Falls I might change my original idea for the story slightly to make some stuff we recently learned involved. So if it seems a little off that's why, but if it's too awkward then I'll keep the story as it originally was in my head. Happy reading!


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